Books, travels and rambles

The women who inspire me// International Women’s Day

This week is International Women’s Day (the 8th of March)

Why a day for women? Well if you didn’t know, we’ve had to deal with a lot of BS throughout history. So this is our day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women. But it is also a day to acknowledge the women who are still waiting on change.

I thought for this week I would dedicate this blog post, to the women who have inspired me in my life.

Up first, is my Mom and my aunt. Each with their own experiences have taught me different things. My Mom has taught me the importance of hard work, but she also taught me not to exploit the success and privilege you gain from that work. My aunt has shown me that you don’t let life’s curve balls stop you and that there is always a shimmer of hope to be gained out of a situation, you just have to find it.

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My friends can’t be forgotten. I’ve watched them demonstrate resilience in the face of their problems. While their recommendation for good books have opened my eyes to various social issues, they inspire me with their zeal for fighting for the objectives that matter to them. Lastly, their constant encouragement has helped build me up when I’m down.

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If you’re not an Irish reader, you may not know that in May a monumental referendum will be held in the country. For the first time since 1983, the Irish public will be asked if they think abortion as a medical procedure should be made legal.

Up until now, under our Constitution abortion has been completely illegal and if preformed, can result in a prison sentence for both the woman and the doctor.

I have never had to be put in the unthinkable decision, and if you had asked me two years ago what my opinion was of the 8th amendment, I would have struggled to have given an answer. The idea of legalising abortion had me on the fence, but after reading and educating myself on the issue, I realised just how messed up and dangerous the law is. And most importantly, just because you ban abortion doesn’t mean that it doesn’t happen… everyday twelve women travel abroad from Ireland to receive the medical treatment. Now I understand that if I ever found myself in that type of situation, I would hope that the decision would be under my terms and that my mental and physical health would not be put at risk.

So my final dedication goes to all the women, who have spent their time campaigning for their rights. Who didn’t let the prejudice and oppression of a country ,which for years (and at times still does), feels the baring weight of the church stop them fighting for what they knew was their right to safe medical care.